Hand-bag or container for bathing-suits.



W. W. MILLS. HAND BAG 0R CONTAINER FOR BATHING SUITS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 31 |917.

. .12.. rzII 25, 1917. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Patented Dec.

els l.

n villini* APPLICATION lFILED MAY 31. i917.

W.. W mwa DE j dm WILEY W. MILLS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HAND-BAG 0R CONTAINER FOR BATHING-SUITS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 25, 191'?.

. Application filed May 31, 1917. Serial No.`171,839.

To all 'whom z't maf] concern:

Be it known that I, WILEY W. MILLS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hand-Bags or Containers for Bathing-Suits, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in a hand-bag or container of a type in which means for the drainage of the same is provided, and whileit is more particularly intended for use for carrying a bathing suit or suits to and from the bathing beach, or the body of water in which the bath is to be taken, yet it is applicable as a portable receptacle for various other articles, and especially such articles or things that are moist or wet, or may require being iced to preserve them while in transportation, such for instance, as freshly caught fish, berries and vegetables, like lettuce, water-cress, spinach, etc., which latter are better preserved and rendered more wholesome and palatable by being thoroughly sprinkled with cold water and maintained in a wet or damp condition during transportation thereof or otherwise.

The principal object of the invention is, to provide what may be termed an outing hand-bag or container, which shall be extremely simple and inexpensive in construction, strong, durable, water-proof (or substantially so) and capable of being readily drained while being carried, if desired, to the end, that wet goods or articles may be transported therein, in such a way, that the water exuding or dripping therefrom or from the melting ice will be either directly drained or discharged from the lower portion of the container, or collected in said portion, to be subsequently discharged therefrom. Another object of the invention is to provide a hand-bag or container having a number of pockets or compartments for the reception and retention of different kinds of articles, some of which pockets may be securely closed and readily opened. Various other objects and advantages of the invention, will be disclosed in the subjoined description and explanation.

The invention consists in certain peculiarities of the construction. novel arrangcment, operation and combination ofthe several parts thereof, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which serve to illustrate the invention,

Figure l, is a perspective view of one form of the hand-bag or container showing its upper portion open, the cover or iiap for one of the pockets partly detached from the side of the container and turned upwardly and showing the end flaps disengaged from their fasteners.

Fig. 2, is a transverse sectional view taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 3, is a greatly enlarged sectional view taken vertically and longitudinally through the lower portion of the container on line 3-3 of Fig. l, but showing the end flaps secured in their normal positions. The said view is shortened for the convenience of illustration.

Fig. 1, is a perspective view of the handbag or container, showing a modification in the construction thereof.

Fig. 5, is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. et, looking indthe direction indicated by the arrows, an

Fig. 6, is a bottom plan view of a fragment of the container showing a modification in the construction of the drainage outlet therefor.

Like numerals of reference refer to corresponding parts, throughout the different views of the drawings.

Referring now to Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive of the drawings, the reference numeral 8 designates the outer member or receptacle of the bag which may be made of any suitable size, form and material, but preferably of flexible and water-proof, or substantially water-proof material, such as, rubber-cloth, water-proofed canvas, duck, or any other suitable material. As shown the member or receptacle 8 is elongated and has its upper portion open and provided on the outer surface of each of its sides near their upper edges with buttons or fasteners 9 to engage or lit. in suitable sockcted pieces 10 on the flaps 1l which are secured to the upper portion of the inner member or receptacle of the container which is indicated as a whole by the reference numeral 12, the construction and arrangement of which member will be presently explained.

As is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings, each end of the outer` member 8 has at its bottom an extension or flap 13. The flaps 13 are by preference, formed integrally with the bottom of the member 8 and are adapted to be extended upwardly along the ends of the container and secured at their upper portions to the ends of the inner member 12 or receptacle. For this purpose each of the extensions or flaps 13 is provided with a socketed member 14 to engage a headed button 15 on the end of the inner member 12 adjacent to said flap or extension. One of said flaps or extensions is provided near the socketed piece 14 thereonl with an opening 16 to be used for hanging up the container so that its opposite end will depend in order that any water collected in the container may be drained therefrom. At each of its ends the outer member or receptacle 8 is provided with side flaps or extensions 17 and 18 which over-lap one another, as shown in Fig. 1 and are fastened at their upper portions by means of stitches 19 to the end walls or portions of the inner and outer members or receptacles 12 and 8 respectively. These flaps 17 and 18 will be v concealed by the flaps or extensions 13 when they are secured in their normal positions as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

The inner member or receptacle 12 is of bag-like form, but of a shape to correspond with the shape of the outer receptacle 8, and of sullicient size to fit snugly therein. The bottom of the inner member or receptacle 12 is located horizontally at some distance above the bottom of the outer member or receptacle 8 and is provided with a series of perforations 2O to permit water to pass as it is drained from the garments or other articles contained by said receptacle into the compartment formed by the bottoms of the inner and outer members. At one of its ends the container is provided between the bottom of the inner receptacle and the bottom of the outer member or receptacle with an outlet or discharge tube 21, which as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 has an inwardly flared opening and is provided at its inner end with a peripheral flange 22 to rest against the inner surface of the end wall of the outer member or receptacle 8 just below the floor of the inner receptacle or member 12. This tube is extended through suitable openings in the end wall of the outer member or receptacle and in the flaps 17 and 18 adjacent thereto and has its outer end internally and externally screw-threaded. The external screw-threads thereon are for the purpose of engaging a nut 23 which clamps a washer 2i interposed between said nut and the flap 18 against said flap, thus firmly securing the tube in position. Engaging the internal screw-threads of the tube 21 is a plug 25 which is employed to close the tube and by preference has on its outer end apertured wings 26 by means of which said Plug may be turned in closing or opening the drainage tube. One of the openings in the wings 26 may be used for the reception of a stringby means of which the plug can be suitably attached to the container, so as to avoid loss or mis-placement thereof, or by means of which it can be suspended. The flaps 11 are secured to the outer surfaces of the side walls of the member or receptacle 12 by means of stitches 27, which it will be observed are located slightly below the upper edges of said walls thus permitting fthe upper portions of the flaps 11 each of which is provided with an opening 28 to form a handle -portion 29 at its upper end, to be flexed or lturned outwardly as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawings in order to expose the fasteners 30 on one of the side walls of the receptacle 12 for manipulation, when they have been extended through suitable eyelets 31 provided on the opposite side of the inner receptacle near the upper edge thereof. The fasteners 30 are by preference of an elongated buttonhead type swiveled inthe side wall of member or receptacle 12, and the eyelets 31 for the receptionA thereof, are of an elongated type so that the button-heads can be inserted therethrough, when by turning the buttonheads slightly they will fasten the side walls of the receptacle together in a well known way. The upper portion of each side of the outer member or receptacle 8 forms in conjunction with the adjacent side wall of the inner receptacle 12, a pocket 32 which is closed by means of the lower portions of the flaps 11 as before stated. lWhile I prefer to provide one of the side walls of the inner receptacle 12, with a plurality of fasteners 30 and the opposite side of said receptacle with a plurality of eyelets 31, for the reception of said fasteners, yet it is obvious that. one only of each may be employed. Each of the walls of the inner member or receptacle 12 may have secured thereto at its lower edge a strip 33 to form other pockets 34 for the reception of any suitable articles. The strips 33 forming in conjunction with the side walls of the inner receptacle 12 the pockets 34, are secured by means of stitches 35 Jto the side walls of the inner and outer receptacles as is clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, in which figure it will be noted that said stitches are located in horizontal lines some distance above the perforated bottom of the inner receptacle.

In Figs. 4 to 6 inclusive of the drawings, is shown a modification in the construction of the handbag or container which consists in the employment of a bag or receptacle 33 of any suitable size, form and material, which may have at its 'upper portion fastening devices similar to those shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and referred to by the reference numerals 30 and 31 and above described, to be used for detachably connecting the upper portion of the sides of said receptacle. The bottom of the recep- Aftacle 36, in this modified construction, is

provided centrally therein with an opening 37 in which is located a cup or basin 38 which has on its inner and outer portions peripheral lianges 39 and 40 to receive therebetween the bottom of the receptacle or bag 36 and the bottom of a strip 41 which is eX- tended upwardly on each of the sides of the receptacle 36 and projects at its ends some distance thereabove as is clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings. The upper portions of the strip 4l are provided with openings 42 to form handles 43 which may be'gripped by the hand of the user when carrying the bag or container. In this modified construction the bottom of the cup or chamber 38 is provided with numerous perforations 44 which are preferably arranged ina circle as is clearly shown in Fig. 6 of the` drawings, and said portion of the cup 38 is provided with a segmental slot 45 through which is extended a projection 46 fixed on the lower surface of a perforated closure 47 which is rotatably mounted on the upper surface of the bottom of the cup 38 by meansof a pin 48 located centrally with respect to the perforations 49 of the closure or plate 47 as well as the perforations 44 in the bottom of the cup. The perforations 49 of the closure or plate 47 are adapted to register when said plate is turned to a suitable point by means ofthe knob or projection 46, with the openings 44 so as to permit water to be drained from the interior of the receptacle 36 or container. It is 0bvious that y turning the plate 47 to a'suitable point the openings 44 in the cup willbe closed and water prevented from being discharged therefrom.

From the foregoing and by reference' to the drawings, it will be clearlyunderstood and readily Seen, that by employing a handbag or container embodying the improvements above set forth, a very simple, ef

licient, inexpensive, durable and compact receptacle or carrier will be provided, from which water may be drained while the container or carrier is being transported from one place to another thus permitting the contents of the container to be freed as far as possible of the Water with which they have been saturated or to which they havev been subjected. It is also obvious that the drainage outlets may b e closed during the time of transportation of the container, so

that water dripping from the garments or other articles therein will be deposited and retained in the lower portion of the receptacle, from which part it can be subsecure by Letters Patent is As an improved article of manufacture,

a hand-bag or container consisting of an in ner and outer receptacle, the inner receptacle being secured to the outer one and having a perforate bottom located at a distance from the bottom of the outer receptacle, a drain tube located in one of the ends of the outer receptacle and in communication with the space between the bottoms of the inner and outer receptacles, means toclose said tube, a concealing ap extended from the end of the bottom of the `outer receptacle adjacent to said tube and adapted to be placed over said tube, and means to detachably secure said flap at its upper portion to the container.

WILEY W. MILLS.- Witnesses:

L. F. PUzIoK, CHAs. C. TILLMAN. 

